Police Detainer Refusal

Boston Police Department received 57 ICE detainer requests in 2025 — and ignored all of them. This is consistent with Boston’s Trust Act, which bans Boston police from holding immigrants in custody pending possible deportation unless a criminal warrant has been issued.

Source: WBUR — Boston police did not take action on any ICE detainers in 2025; Boston Globe — Boston Police ignored all ICE requests

City Property Ban

February 5, 2026: Mayor Michelle Wu issued an executive order banning ICE from staging operations or making civil immigration arrests on city property, including:

• Parking lots and garages
• Open spaces and parks
• City buildings

Five nearby cities followed Boston’s lead: Cambridge, Somerville, and others announced similar restrictions.

Source: WBUR — Wu issues order to protect Bostonians from ICE; WBUR — Boston-area cities restricting ICE

Courthouse Arrests Despite Resistance

Despite city-level resistance, ICE continues aggressive courthouse enforcement in Suffolk County:

• Region 5 (Chelsea, Suffolk Superior Court, Boston Municipal Courts): 136 people detained at courthouses in 2025
• East Boston District Court: at least 20 arrests in 2025
• Edward W. Brooke Courthouse: at least 15 arrests
• Chelsea District Court: 57 arrests in 2025 (tripled from 19 in 2024)

Source: GBH — Over 600 ICE courthouse arrests in MA

State-Level Support

• Governor Healey proposed legislation banning ICE from courthouses, schools, hospitals, churches
• AG Campbell launched ICE misconduct reporting portal (March 2026)
• Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office ended ICE detention contract in 2019

Why It Matters

Suffolk County/Boston demonstrates the limits of local sanctuary policy — the city can refuse detainers and ban ICE from city property, but cannot stop federal agents from making arrests in state courthouses. ICE has exploited this gap to triple courthouse arrests even in the state’s most progressive city. The courthouse enforcement pattern shows the federal government using one sovereign space (federal law enforcement power) against another (state court operations).